With the U.S. fencing team’s Olympic qualifications having been settled on May 9, Princeton will have four current or former fencers qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games, including three for the U.S. and one for Egypt.
Two are first-time Olympians and two are returners from the 2016 Games.
Mohamed Hamza, a sophomore in 2020-21, has qualified to represent Egypt in the foil team and individual competitions.
Hamza competed at the 2016 Games in the team foil event, helping Egypt finish seventh.
At Princeton, Hamza competed during the 2018-19 season, earning All-America honors as the sixth-place finisher at the 2019 NCAA Championships and earning second-team All-Ivy League recognition.
Katharine Holmes, Class of 2017, will represent the U.S. in the women’s team and individual épée competitions. Holmes helped the U.S. finish fifth at the 2016 games, and she made the round of 32 individually.
At Princeton, Holmes was a four-time All-America, finishing third, fifth, seventh and second at four NCAA Championships between 2012 and 2017.
Holmes was a four-time All-Ivy League honoree, earning first-team recognition three times.
Eliza Stone, Class of 2013, will represent the U.S. in the team and individual saber competitions and will be a first-time Olympian.
A four-time All-America at Princeton, Stone won the 2013 NCAA saber title after finishing eighth, second and third at her first three NCAA Championships.
Stone was a four-time All-Ivy League honoree, earning first-team recognition three times.
Anna Van Brummen, Class of 2017, won the 2017 NCAA épée title in an all-Tiger final with Holmes, becoming the first Princeton woman to win an NCAA épée championship. That season was Van Brummen’s second All-America honor, along with finishing third at the 2015 NCAAs.
Van Brummen was a four-time first-team All-Ivy League honoree and has qualified as a replacement athlete for the team épée event.
Holmes, Stone and Van Brummen were all part of Princeton’s 2013 NCAA team fencing championship.
Princeton has had at least one fencer at seven of the previous nine Olympic Games, with Maya Lawrence ’02 and Susannah Scanlan ’14 earning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games in team épée to become the third and fourth Princetonians, and first Princeton women, to medal in fencing at the Games.
Henry Breckenridge 1907 earned a team foil bronze at the 1920 Antwerp Games, and Tracy Jaeckel ’28 won team épée bronze at the 1932 Los Angeles Games.
* This article was provided by Princeton University’s Princeton Tigers.
